Did progesterone work for you?

Hey all: I was just thinking about my situation (like I'm not ALWAYS thinking about it) and I am guessing my 3 mc's may have something to do with me having low progesterone. I will be taking the test on day 21 of my cycle but still waiting to start that cycle as had a mc over New Year's... I just can't stand to wait that long and wanted feedback. I've heard that it hasn't been proven that low progesterone causes mc. I'm not so sure because then I've heard of women taking the shots and having babies (I've also heard of the shots not working). I'm guessing that I may have low prog. because my 3 mcs happened so early and all times my hcg levels were fairly low. I'm wondering if anyone knows more about the symptoms of low progesterone and if any of you ladies have been tested and subsequently needed to take shots...and then how did it turn out??Thank you for helping out. XOXO

I was never teste but had a forward thinking obstetrician who gave me progesterone injections during my two successful pregnancies. I had four miscarriages before that. He did say that there may be side effects which were unknown at the time (2001 & 2003) but I decided to try it.

I wish you luck. I know how miserable it is to have repeated miscarriage.

Thank u hamster and drama. It would appear from the lack of replies and from your situations that most women either never tested for it or have not taken it! I'm wondering if either of you had any signs of low progesterone prior to taking it and being pregnant. I've read that symptoms could include a whole range of things, which makes it difficult to determine since some of those symptoms are going to apply to many women, i.e. - back pain during pms, irregular periods, light or heavy periods...

hi Daynee, we spoke on another thread. I did take progesterone suppositories in my third and successful pregnancy. I had my level tested a few times in normal cycles and it came back low most of the time.

i'm not surprised there aren't a lot of replies on this thread because here in the U.K. the official stance is that low progesterone is a symptom not a cause of miscarriage, and most doctors won't bother testing anyone's levels.

If you pose the same question on a U.S. site (i used to go to pregnancy-info.net) you will get lots of replies.

i used progesterone suppositories in my 3 successful pregnancies after losing my first 3 babies, luckily we had a wonderful consultant who suggested them despite the fact we hadnt had 3 miscarriages, our 1st was an anencephaly at 16 weeks which i delivered, 2nd was missed miscarriage and 3rd was complete miscarriage, i dont know if it was fate the 4th time but i took suppositories 2x daily up to 3 months from the moment i knew i was pregnant, i now have a dd who is 4 in 2 weeks, a ds who is 2.5 and a ds who is 1 in a week. i was never tested for low progesterone so dont know if that was the cause for my 2nd and 3rd losses.

Hi allI have recently miscarried for the 2nd time I have been reading up on the treatment of using progesterone to help prevent miscarriages.What are some of the ways to use progesterone?Is it as simple as taking a pill?

Hi mandas, I'm so sorry to hear about your loss, I hope you'll find lots of comfort and good advice here.

I have not taken progesteone , but had a mc in late April and now have not ovulated since. Doc says she recommends I take progesterone pills cd 1-10 to reset my ovulation.

I have been reading lots online about uses of progesterone and it seems many women go on to have successful pregnancies using progesterone after multiple mc. I think it's pills or creams (maybe shots too?). Anyway, definitely something to look into.

I hope you get to the bottom of this dear, and that your GP finds the source of the problem. Sending lots of well wishes your way.

So sorry to hear of your losses. I am not a medical doctor, but have 6 yrs of infertility (including 5 pregnancy losses) behind me and can advise on the basis of what I have learned over that time!

As far as I know there are basically 3 ways that progesterone is used after recurrent pregnancy loss / for fertility issues.

The first is the use of a progesterone pill (like the contraceptive pill) that is used prior to a cycle of fertility treatment to 'regulate' or control the cycle (basically it is a convenience thing so the clinic can be sure it is open on the days you need scanning etc.).

Secondly, some pregnancies are lost because there is insufficient progesterone to maintain them for the first 10-12 weeks until the placenta takes over. This sometimes leads to early losses and what is called 'luteal phase defect' - when there aren't enough days between ovulation and the womb lining being lost as a period - the fertilized egg has no time to implant / may not be able to implant because conditions aren't quite right. In this second case, the preferred treatment is usually pessaries (or suppositaries - less messy!) of progesterone in a waxy substance. These 'botty bombs' (as we used to call them - they do look like missiles!) are called Cyclogest, and are the first line of treatment for some docs- usually you will be told to use the from ovulation till a period - or till 10-12 weeks if you do get pg.

The third treatment is Gestone injections - these are intramuscular injections of progesterone - usually in the bottom - and can be a bit sore. These are sometimes used in addition to or as an alternative to Cyclogest if low progesterone has been identified as an issue.

As an aside, lots of ladies who have suffered recurrent miscarriages have had success with baby aspirin (75mg per day). You can pick it up over the counter. I took it with my folic acid and up until week 30.

Thank you for your responses.My losses were feb '09 & just last week.. being pregnant twice in 1 yr is amazing considering we have been ttc since the birth of my daughter ( who also took awhile to conceive) 7 yrs ago!.The baby asprin- is that like the childrens panadol? & i am assuming its safe to take?sorry abit of a worry wart.

No, not the same as panadol. Panadol contains paracetamol. Baby aspirin is just low-dose aspirin. It acts as a blood thinner and may relieve infertility issues if they are around implantation / establishment of the placenta as it reduces the chances of clotting in the tiny capillaries that form as implantation occurs.

A few years ago, those at risk of stroke were advised to take baby aspirin routinely to reduce the chances of blood clotting. Due to the risk of ulcers, I wouldn't take it for years on end, but was happy to take it while ttc. Obviously not wise to self-medicate with a blood thinner if you have any pre-existing clotting issue!

The use of baby aspirin for recurrent pg loss is becoming more common, but not common enough that your GP (unless they are very on the ball) will have heard of it, so be prepared for scepticism if you want to check it out with your own GP. It is routinely advised by infertility clinics as one of the 'baseline' treatments for recurrent miscarriers - I was advised to take it by my (brilliant) London fertility doctor.